Evangelical and Evangelical Christianity

News about Evangelical and Evangelical Christianity, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 26, 2015

Evangelical leaders and other Republican conservatives, uninspired by probable moderate agenda of Jeb Bush, are looking to unite behind another presidential candidate who is more anti-establishment; party's right-wing groups will be inviting potential contenders, who take stance against issues like same-sex marriage, abortion and immigration overhaul, to plea their case ahead of primary season. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Jeb Bush's Catholic faith, religion of his wife that he converted to 20 years ago after failed political campaign that stressed his marriage, has developed into main element of way he lives his life and forms his views on public policy; as he considers 2016 presidential campaign, Bush's religion has become focus of early appeals to evangelical activists, who are especially vital in Republican primary that is often dominated by religious voters. MORE

Mar. 16, 2015

Former bible salesman David Lane has undertaken mission to reinvigorate political power of evangelical Christians within Republican Party ahead of 2016 election; has begun traveling around country urging powerful pastors to run for office, in self-described attempt to create political 'army'; observers say Lane represents new generation of evangelicals pushing to resuscitate group disheartened by repeated failure of socially conservative candidates. MORE

Mar. 8, 2015

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column underscores how Speaker John Boehner's invitation to Israeli Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress was move to curry favor with Republican Party's evangelical Christian base, fact largely ignored by media coverage; points out that Israel's importance to evangelical Christians helps explain closer relationship between Republicans and Israel that has emerged in last few decades. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column digs into survey data compiled by Public Religion Research Institute about way 50,000 Americans feel about issues of gay marriage, abortion and immigration; notes that data shows how white evangelical Protestants have disproportionate sway over Republican Party on these issues. MORE

Nov. 29, 2014

Rev Matt Brogli, Southern Baptist pastor in North Carolina, is among growing number of evangelical clergy members sending mentally troubled congregants to secular professionals; are trying to change idea prevalent among conservative Christians that psychiatric disorders are proof of demonic possession or sign that the person had fallen in God's eyes. MORE

Nov. 8, 2014

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column examines muckraking work of magazine World, evangelical Christian news-magazine that first revealed Mark Driscoll, founder of successful Mars Hill Church in Seattle, misused church funds; notes World also revealed that Dinesh D'Souza, conservative author, filmmaker and activist, attended a Christian conference with a woman that was not his wife. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Brian Houston, pastor of Hillsong, one of more influential global megachurches, says church is engaged in 'ongoing conversation' about same-sex marriage and that it is appropriate to consider words of Bible alongside changing culture; statement attracts support from left and concern from right. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

Mark Driscoll, charismatic pastor of sprawling Mars Hill evangelical church in Seattle resigns after completion of internal investigation into his managerial conduct; Driscoll's rise and fall are among the more dramatic in recent annals of American evangelicalism. MORE

Sep. 10, 2014

Hillsong, Australian Pentecostal megachurch, has become phenomenon, and has established its first outpost on America's West Coast, in Los Angeles; church has capitalized on, and in some cases shaped, trends not only in evangelicalism but also in Christian youth culture; critics deride church as hipster Christianity. MORE

Sep. 9, 2014

Mars Hill Church in Seattle will close several campuses and lay off staff members because of decline in attendance and contributions following criticism of its senior pastor Mark Driscoll, prominent speaker and author who has come under fire for his harsh management style. MORE

Aug. 25, 2014

Conservative evangelical leader Mark Driscoll is taking leave from running Mars Hill megachurch in Bellevue, Wash, after flood of complaints that he has been bullying and abusive to staff members; has also been accused of plagiarism and misuse of church funds, while creating culture of fear at his church. MORE

Aug. 23, 2014

Mark Driscoll, evangelical Christian celebrity who founded successful Mars Hill church in the Pacific Northwest, has become a pariah in a rapidly-imploding empire; Driscoll faces wide range of accusations from former staff members and congregants, who say he was a bully who consolidated power, misused church funds, and committed plagiarism; 21 former pastors have filed formal complaint calling for Driscoll's ouster as the church's leader. MORE

Jul. 25, 2014

Recently completed replica of Solomon's Temple in Sao Paulo, Brazil, underscores the surging growth of evangelical Christianity in country, as well as its competitive religious landscape; number of evangelicals climbed to 22 percent of population in 2010 from 15 percent in 2000. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

Bowdoin College will cease to recognize Bowdoin Christian Fellowship student group due to its refusal to adhere to rules barring discrimination based on a person's religious beliefs; similar conflicts over religious freedom and anti-discrimination policies are playing out on handful of college campuses around country, driven by universities' desire to rid campuses of bias, particularly against gay men and lesbians, but also, in eyes of evangelicals, fueled by discomfort in academia with conservative forms of Christianity. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column notes evangelicals are not the only ones with high-profile preachers with sizable audiences; points out liberal wings of certain Christian churches also have preaching stars, and some gathered In Minneapolis in May for the annual Festival of Homiletics, conference that offers sermons and lectures on art of preaching. MORE

May. 14, 2014

T M Luhrmann Op-Ed article questions whether modern insistence on continuous stretch of seven to eight hours of sleep a night impacts spiritual life; notes that when comparing evangelical churches in developing world with those in America, many more people in developing world claim God speaks to them in their sleep, whereas in America, people attribute odd events in the night to sleep deprivation. MORE

Apr. 19, 2014

T M Luhrmann Op-Ed article supports effort by evangelical pastor Rick Warren to involve his Saddleback Church in training clergy and administrators to handle psychiatric crises and establish mental health services within church; notes many sufferers do not seek help for their diseases because of confusing nature of mental health system and stigma attached to such ailments; holds initiative has potential to reach many mentally ill people who otherwise would get no help. MORE

Jan. 4, 2014

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column observes that evangelicalism is in the midst of a Calvinist revival; notes an increasing numbers of preachers and professors teach the views of 16th-century French reformer John Calvin, a theological orientation not of the 'feel good' variety. MORE

Dec. 29, 2013

T M Luhrmann Op-Ed article describes the differences between American charismatic churches and those in Africa; observes that in Africa prayer is akin to warfare, with Christians battling a world swarming with evil forces. MORE

Oct. 27, 2013

Op-Ed article by Prof Molly Worthen notes that a quarter of single mothers in America vote Republican; contends the single mothers who reject the politics of their peers offer insight into the limits of the liberal effort to redefine cultural ideals; asserts that evangelicals and other conservative Christian single mothers' commitment to traditional values is all the stronger because they are raising children alone. MORE

Oct. 8, 2013

Evangelical organization Answers in Genesis mounts digital billboard, directed at New York City's atheists, on corner of 42nd Street and Eight Avenue, heart of Times Square. MORE

Sep. 28, 2013

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column notes that evangelical college Moody Bible Institute in Chicago has lifted ban on faculty members drinking alcohol; new policy is symbolic of shift in evangelical attitudes away from teetotaling and theological desirability of strict systems of rules. MORE

Sep. 22, 2013

Op-Ed article by author Kathryn Joyce traces the roots of the craze for adoption among evangelical Christians in America; notes that it has contributed to a boom-and-bust market for children around the world, in many cases creating incentives to establish or expand orphanages and identify children to fill them; calls for improvements in regulation of adoptions. MORE

Aug. 31, 2013

Matt Pitt, young evangelist from Alabama, continues to preach to his congregation from county jail, where he was sent on charges of impersonating a police officer; his supporters claim charges against him are fabricated, which Jefferson County authorities dismiss as baseless. MORE

Aug. 15, 2013

Commission of 14 evangelical Christian leaders has recommended that churches and other houses of worship be allowed to endorse political candidates without losing their tax-exempt status. MORE

Aug. 10, 2013

Samuel G Freedman On Religion column notes program that enlists evangelical volunteers to help out public schools in Portland, Ore, has drawn interest from states across the country; program fulfills needs of school districts with slashed budgets as well as young evangelicals drawn to cause of social justice, while avoiding tripwire of church-state separation. MORE

Jun. 26, 2013

T M Luhrmann Op-Ed article examines why author C S Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia remains deeply compelling for many evangelicals, more so than for Catholics and mainline Protestants; suggests Narnia stories offer theological complexity that may help people hang on to faith in a secular society. MORE

Jun. 8, 2013

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column on Vox Veniae, 200-person Evangelical church in Austin, Tex, that has come to serve multi-racial congregation, even though it began as church for Chinese-Americans. MORE

Jun. 1, 2013

Evangelical Christians are part of a fast-growing movement that promotes adoption as a religious and moral calling; supporters say surge in adoptions has offered hope to thousands of parent-less or abandoned children from abroad and to foster children in the United States; movement has revived debate about ethical practices in international adoptions. MORE

May. 30, 2013

T M Luhrmann Op-Ed article notes many evangelicals are not convinced of God's existence, yet they pray anyway; says it may be more helpful to think about faith as questions people choose to focus on, rather than propositions observers think they must hold. MORE

May. 25, 2013

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column notes that Christian wing of conservative movement includes many Jewish converts to Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism; says Jewish heritage of such converts can confer unique perspective on conservative Christian world. MORE

May. 12, 2013

Op-Ed article by history Prof Molly Worthen contends Evangelicals' growing support for immigration reform suggests important shift in how conservative Protestants think about what it means to be American; adds that shift may also point to beginnings of real change in how evangelicals understand problem of justice in a fallen world. MORE

Apr. 14, 2013

Change of heart on immigration among evangelical Christian leaders, once inclined to view illegal immigrants as lawbreakers, is trickling down to congregations, and could have powerful effect on fight in Congress; many pastors in largely white churches have been spurred to action on immigration by preachers in Hispanic and immigrant churches, who have seen rapid growth in their congregations. MORE

Apr. 14, 2013

Op-Ed column by T M Luhrmann notes similarities between evangelical relationship with God and relationship between client and therapist. MORE

Mar. 9, 2013

Samuel G Freedman On Religion column notes that evangelical group Focus on the Family, under leadership of Jim Daly, has tried to be less divisive and invite civil dialogue with its religious and ideological foes. MORE

Mar. 2, 2013

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column discusses Southern Methodist University study showing that despite efforts to integrate religions beyond evangelical Christianity in Texas public schools, teachers are not doing enough to make their classes welcome all beliefs. MORE

Jan. 19, 2013

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column profiles Mary Pride, a hero to evangelical Christians and a pioneer in home schooling, who embraces use of technology and the Internet in her teaching methods. MORE

Dec. 16, 2012

Op-Ed article by pastor John S Dickerson calls attention to ongoing disintegration of evangelicalism in United States; contends that evangelicals must accept that their beliefs are now in conflict with mainstream culture; suggests that evangelicals adapt way they hold their beliefs, with grace and humility instead of superior hostility. MORE

Nov. 11, 2012

Liberty University, evangelical Christian institution founded by Jerry Falwell, has spent millions of dollars building football program that it hopes can challenge the nation's best teams and spread its Christian message; capacity of its on-campus stadium will soon grow to 30,000, and was designed to accommodate expansion to as much as 60,000. MORE

Nov. 10, 2012

Christian conservatives, for more than two decades a pivotal force in American politics, are grappling with Election Day results that repudiated their influence and suggested that the cultural tide--especially on gay issues--has shifted against them; group lost fights against same-sex marriage in all four states where it was on the ballot, and saw anti-abortion-rights Senate candidates defeated and two states vote to legalize marijuana for recreational use. MORE

Nov. 4, 2012

Influential conservative pundit Glenn Beck, perhaps best-known Mormon after Mitt Romney and major influence on evangelical Christians, emerges as unlikely theological bridge between Romney and a critical electorate. MORE

Sep. 23, 2012

Ralph Reed, who turned the Christian Coalition into a powerful political force, is planning a sophisticated, microtargeted get-out-the-evangelical-vote operation that he believes could open up a path to victory for Mitt Romney; Reed's involvement is remarkable in that he seemed consigned to a political purgatory after his failed campaign to become Georgia's lieutenant governor and his ties to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. MORE

Jul. 3, 2012

Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will visit Israel this summer to meet with Prime Min Benjamin Netanyahu and Salam Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority; trip is an opportunity to appeal both to Jewish voters and donors, whose support of Pres Obama appears to have lessened, and to evangelical Christians, whose trust he is still fighting to win. MORE

Jun. 13, 2012

Some of the nation's most influential evangelical groups urge a solution to illegal immigration that defies the harsh rhetoric of the Republican primary race, which continues to undermine presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's appeal to Hispanic voters. MORE

Jun. 2, 2012

Twitter is courting Christian evangelical leaders, who have found the network to be surprisingly effective for building influence and spreading inspiration; messages from prominent evangelical tweeters tend to be re-posted at faster rates than those from pop culture and political figures who have a larger number of followers. MORE

May. 13, 2012

Mitt Romney delivers graduation speech at conservative Liberty University, seeking to quell concerns among evangelical voters by offering a forceful defense of faith and Christian values in public life; Romney makes the case that he is bound theologically and politically to Christian beliefs, but does not mention his own Mormon faith. MORE

Apr. 12, 2012

Evangelical leaders have begun to cautiously embrace Mitt Romney, now that Rick Santorum, who enjoyed their strong support, has suspended his campaign; some leaders have noted that their shared hostility toward Pres Obama will be a powerful force for uniting the party, and overcoming their previous criticisms of Romney. MORE